Portable computing devices often include displays to provide a user graphical or textual information. The displays often include a backlight that enables the display to be used in low or dim ambient lighting environments. There can be some displays that are not useable without at least some amount of backlight. In some embodiments, portable computing devices can also include a backlight for an included keyboard.
Display and keyboard backlights typically require controllers to control dimming of the respective lights and also to provide a voltage for powering the LED (light emitting diode) arrays that typically provide the backlights. Portable computing devices are continually getting smaller and thinner. As a consequence, LED controllers must also become smaller and more integrated.
Some integrated LED controller solutions lack configuration flexibility. That is, while some LED controllers can work well in a first mode of operation, the same LED controller may not work as well in a second mode of operation, especially when an operating mode can be based on an operating system. Examples of operating systems are Windows® from Microsoft®, Mac-OS® from Apple Inc.®, Linux, UNIX and others. For example, a portable computing device including a particular LED controller can boot with no difficulty with a first operating system; however, the same LED controller can exhibit artifacts such a flashing and blinking when booting with a second operating system.
Therefore, what is desired is a relatively compact configurable LED controller that can easily be configured to operate in multiple operating modes.